DOCOMO, China Mobile and KT Announce Wi-Fi Roaming Deal

NTT DOCOMO,China Mobile International and KT agreed to lay out a joint Wi-Fi inbound roaming scheme covering Japan, China and Korea.

The new arrangement will allow international mobile and/or Wi-Fi operators to roam into Wi-Fi hotspots in Japan, China and Korea through a single contract and a one-stop connection realized by hubs supported by the scheme.

China Mobile International is named to be one of the hub operators. The companies hope to launch in Q2 2013.

The three carriers also agreed to adopt EAP-SIM authentication technology to eliminate the need for customers to enter user IDs and passwords when accessing Wi-Fi hotspots, leading to improved convenience and experiences.

Separately, the three carriers have also agreed on handset and service requirements needed to realize NFC international roaming services, or NFC service roaming, between the three countries and for the rest of Asia. The companies have been exploring opportunities for NFC service roaming since January 2011, and from April 2012, efforts have focused on developing common requirements.

http://www.ntt.co.jp